Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 11/07/2008 10:55 AM | Headlines A sporting attitude and a tradition of respect from the losing side are all lessons in grace that Indonesia can take from the U.S. presidential election, in its own quest to nurture democracy, experts and politicians said Thursday. Legislator Ganjar Pranowo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said the U.S. election was a showcase of politics at its most mature, with the Republican candidate Senator John McCain accepting defeat elegantly. "McCain showed his heroic side and respect for Barrack Obama's win as soon as the result was out. But in Indonesia, candidates usually squabble over election results first, with nobody willing to admit defeat," he said. Ganjar was referring to the recent gubernatorial election in North Maluku, which ended in a series of clashes between supporters of the two rival candidates. "Learning to accept defeat is something our leaders must do in order to bring our democracy to a more mature level," he said. Political expert Ikrar Nusa Bhakti of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) shared similar views, calling on Indonesian leaders to emulate McCain's move in urging his supporters to congratulate his victorious rival. "When (former Indonesian president) Megawati lost to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (in the 2004 election), I asked her to accept defeat; but it turned out Megawati let her emotions get the better of her rationality, and she would not accept Yudhoyono's win," Ikrar said. Legislator Marzuki Darusman of the Golkar Party said there was a nascent sense of sportsmanship in Indonesian politics. He cited former Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung, who was willing to "elegantly accept his defeat" to Wiranto for the party's presidential nomination. "Obama's win is a good political lesson. An election should be seen as a battle for everyone, uniting everybody, instead of polarizing society," said former attorney general Marzuki. Ganjar said Obama's win could also inspire a paradigm shift from the traditional Javanese president to one from a different ethnic background. Ikrar said aspiring Indonesian politicians could learn from Obama's long journey to the presidency. "Obama had to struggle in politics for 12 years before finally becoming president. He's still young but he already went through a lot of things," he said. "Our young generation should learn from this, since there are many young and hasty presidential candidates now. They think being president is all about having money." Marzuki said Indonesia could benefit from Obama's win, but would need to initiate a more personal connection with the U.S. president-elect. "Obama surely has a relationship with Indonesia because he used to live here. But we can't depend on that kind of sentimentality alone. We must follow up on this sentiment and turn it into real cooperation," he said. Mahfudz Siddiq, a senior member of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said he hoped Obama would take a more realistic approach in tackling terrorism. "I'm sure someone with a multicultural background such as Obama would view terrorism from a more balanced perspective. Indonesia would expect that he see terrorism not only from its aspect of violence, but also the aspect of the economic disparity in this era of globalization," Mahfudz said.

Dian KuswandiniandAbdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 10/17/2008 10:23 AM | Headlines A voting mechanism will be legislators' last resort to pass the presidential election bill, with most major factions at the House of Representatives sticking to their guns on the contentious point of nominating a president. Political parties are split over the threshold -- the minimum percentage of House seats held by a party or coalition -- needed for the party or coalition to nominate its own presidential candidate. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN) held their position of proposing a 15 percent threshold. At the other end, the country's two biggest political parties, the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), insisted on a 25-30 percent threshold. Other parties -- including the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) -- have compromised on a 20 percent threshold. PDI-P legislator and deputy head of the House's special committee deliberating the bill, Yasonna Laoly, said Wednesday evening's lobby had failed to reach a consensus. "Most factions agreed to between 20 and 26 percent of total seats threshold, except for the PAN and the Democratic Party, which insisted on 15 percent," she said. PAN legislator Andi Yuliani Paris said her party would stick with 15 percent. "It's fine if we lose in the voting mechanism. We already compromised and gradually increased our percentage six times," she said. The voting mechanism was also welcomed by Golkar and the PDI-P. Golkar secretary-general Sumarsono said his party would not lower the threshold below 25 percent, saying it had compromised by cutting it down from 30 percent. Tjahyo Kumolo, chairman of the PDI-P's faction at the House, said a 26 percent threshold was his party's limit. "We'll be ready to vote," he said. The House has extended the sitting period to Oct. 30 from the previously scheduled Oct. 24, to accommodate prolonged lobbying over the issue. However, House deputy speaker Muhaimin Iskandar of the PKB said the bill would be passed in the Oct. 22 plenary session, cutting lobbying possibilities and opening the way for voting. The voting means Golkar and the PDI-P, with 128 and 109 House seats respectively, could force for bill adoption with threshold. "If we have to vote, then we want a 30 percent threshold," Sumarsono said. With his only support coming from the Democratic Party, which garnered only 8 percent of national votes, Yudhoyono needs to keep the threshold as low as possible to allow him run for president again without needing to form a coalition. In Bandung, Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto said the government would lobby all parties at the House to prevent the presidential nomination threshold being decided through a vote. Yuli Tri Wahyuni contributed to the story from Bandung

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 10/17/2008 10:26 AM | National The House of Representatives' special committee debating the controversial pornography bill will allow tourists to wear bikinis at tourist resorts in a bid to ensure tourism is not negatively affected by the controversial legislation. "Tourists are allowed to wear bikinis in tourism resorts like Bali and Parang Tritis beach (in Yogyakarta). The porn bill will treat recreational and leisure areas differently," lawmaker Husein Abdul Azis of the Democratic Party said Thursday. There have been fears among domestic tourism operators that the bill would deter tourists from visiting because it would recquire them to wear "appropriate" clothing. Bali is the country's top tourist destination. Indonesia aims to attract 7 million tourists this year and collect some US$6.7 billion in foreign exchange revenue. Head of the House's special committee deliberating the pornography bill, Balkan Kaplale, said his team had made some changes to contentious articles in the bill, finalizing the terms before lawmakers begin their recess period starting on Oct. 30. "I can say there have been drastic changes in the bill," said Balkan of the Golkar Party. The changes act as a compromise to the growing opposition movements to the bill. Despite concerns for tourism, speculation continues to mount over Articles 21 and 22 of the bill, which stipulate that the public is allowed to "directly involve" itself in preventive measures against pornography. Critics have said the articles could put the law into the hands of civilians, including hardliners. Husein said the committee had already added additional explanations to those particular articles of concern. "The bill has made it clear now that such preventive measures are only applicable to the authority of the police and prosecutors," he said. However, lawmakers are still discussing the much criticized definition of pornography, he said. Article 1 of the bill defines pornography as any man-made work that includes sexual material in the form of drawings, sketches, illustrations, photographs, text, sound, moving pictures, animation, cartoons, poetry, conversations or any other form of communicative message. Lawmaker Muhaimin Iskandar of the National Awakening Party (PKB) said the committee would inform the public about changes to the bill before Oct. 28. "We must publicize the changes in the media. This bill should no longer be creating controversy and should be ready to be passed," Muhaimin said. The committee will bring the bill to the House consultative body next Tuesday. "If the body approves the bill, the House will bring it to the plenary session and pass it either on Oct. 28 or Oct. 30."

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Fri, 10/17/2008 10:23 AM | National The House of Representatives named six new Supreme Court justices despite saying that none of them had shown the "reformative spirit" needed to improve the institution. Showing a balanced combination of three career judges and three non-career ones, the list of new justices also includes the name of the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) chairman Syamsul Maarif."They are the best we could get from the total 18 candidates. Frankly speaking, there's nothing special about them; they're just mediocre," chairman of the House's Commission III overseeing legal affairs, Trimedya Panjaitan, said here Thursday. "The candidates failed to show their reformative sides. They gave normative and common answers to our questions on how to reform the Supreme Court." Trimedya said the only satisfying part of the selection was that the House had been relatively successful in initiating a cameral-based system with Syamsul, who has expertise in business law, winning votes from commission members. "Syamsul is expected to contribute something new to the Supreme Court with his expertise. The Supreme Court has never had a justice with a business law background before," he said. Syamsul gained support from 38 of the 48 lawmakers. "I regret that the only candidate from the state administrative court didn't win enough votes. I also regret that the Judicial Commission didn't offer us any candidates from the religious court, when we need justices from different backgrounds to be able to handle all legal cases," Trimedya said. Lawmaker Nursyahbani Katjasungkana of the National Awakening Party (PKB) said the Supreme Court needed justices from a variety of backgrounds so it could adjust to contemporary issues. "In the past, we categorized cases under criminal and civic laws. Today, our society has become more complicated with more specific issues like women, children, corruption and business competition," she said. She also praised Syamsul, whom she said could bring new spirit to the Supreme Court. "I think he has the integrity to avoid receiving bribes," Nursyahbani said, adding Syamsul was "young" enough to make him stay longer at the court. At the age of 51, Syamsul is the youngest justice. Justice Andi said he was committed to upholding transparency for the public's sake. "The public deserves transparency in getting access to the information that belongs to them," he said. "I will also initiate an effort to restrict justices from having any meetings with anyone involved in cases they're handling. This is to prevent bribery."

Dian Kuswandini , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 10/06/2008 9:55 AM | Headlines Hasan di Tiro, a former chief of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebel group who has not set foot on Indonesian soil for 30 years, will make a historic homecoming this weekend, a former aide said Sunday. Suadi Sulaiman, also known as Adi Laweung, a spokesperson for the then GAM council, said Hasan was expected to set foot on Aceh for the first time after three decades on Oct. 11 and spend between two weeks and one month on his home soil. "He (Hasan) has been missing his homeland Indonesia very much, in particular Aceh. His return has nothing to do with politics," the spokesperson said. Adi said that after 30 years living abroad, Hasan, who is a Swedish national, felt the moment had arrived for him to return home. Hasan led the fight against Indonesian rule from his base in Sweden. The Aceh government and legislative council have invited Hasan to visit the province in a bid to boost peace in the province, which was engulfed in armed conflict for decades. The Indonesian government and Aceh rebels signed a peace pact in Helsinki, Finland, more than three years ago. Hasan's decision to return to Aceh is entirely his own, Adi said, adding that he was not certain whether Hasan would visit Jakarta. Adi confirmed Hasan had arrived in Kuala Lumpur for talks with former GAM leaders prior to his trip to Indonesia. Hasan met with several Acehnese living in Kuala Lumpur during his trip to the Malaysian capital, the spokesperson said. "Di Tiro will hold a meeting with the people of Aceh in the Selangor State Mosque, Shah Alam," Adi said, adding that the people he would meet with were victims of the tsunami that hit Aceh in December 2004. Several former GAM figures, including Muzakkir Manaf and Kamaruddin Abu Bakar (Abu Razak), Aceh Transition Commission spokesman Ibrahim Syamsuddin and religious figures Muhibbudin Wali and Abu Tumin Blang Blahdeh will accompany Hasan during his stay in Kuala Lumpur, Adi said. The Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur confirmed the former GAM leader had arrived Saturday morning and would meet representatives of the Indonesian government in the city. "According to the schedule, there will be representatives of the Indonesian government who will meet him and take him to Jakarta before he returns to Aceh," a source told Antara. It was reported that former Indonesian chief negotiator Hamid Awaluddin, who is now the Indonesian Ambassador to Russia, would accompany the former GAM leader to Kuala Lumpur, Antara said.

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 10/09/2008 10:37 AM | National The government will play a crucial role in ending the three-year deadlock over the military tribunal bill deliberation, with the bill promising to usher in real military reform, lawmakers said Wednesday. With just a few days left before it breaks for recess, the House of Representatives' special committee deliberating the bill said it could pass it this year, but only if the government showed its full commitment. "We had expected to pass the bill in this sitting period. But the deadlock remains because the government keeps rejecting several contentious points," committee chairman and member of the House's Commission I overseeing domestic affairs, Andreas Pareira, told The Jakarta Post. Andreas, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said the government had turned down the full implementation of a proposal to try military officers facing criminal charges in civilian courts, rather than a military tribunal. "The government insists that the arrest and investigation of military officers involved in crimes should remain under the authority of the military police, not the police, as recognized in the Criminal Code," Andreas said. "The code only grants exceptions to expatriates. Why do military officers want to be treated similar to expatriates?" The National Awakening Party's (PKB) Nursyahbani Katjasungkana said the government also insisted on maintaining the authority of military prosecutors to try military personnel in civilian courts. "The government claims the military is not ready to be grilled by the police or state prosecutors. We compromised by offering a three-year transitional period," said Nursyahbani, a member of the House's Commission III overseeing legal affairs. "The military has been the slowest institution in showing reform improvements, because it's holding on to political and psychological pride." She added the military was concerned about having its cases handled by the police, because of the novelty of the situation. "The military still sees the police as a younger brother. There's also jealousy within the military, because the police now have more authority in security affairs than them." The House-sponsored military bill has been deliberated since 2005, aiming at pushing reform within the Indonesian Military (TNI) in a bid to slash impunity and ensure transparency. Andreas expressed concern over the slow passage of the bill, saying it could affect certain issues, including disputes between the military and civilians over land ownership. "There are many cases in which civilians claim they have been treated unjustly because the disputes were brought to military courts. We acknowledge that (military) courts have been not transparent all this time," he said. Andreas insisted military courts limit themselves to certain cases, such as desertion, disobedience and the theft of military assets or top-secret information. "Criminal charges should be tried in civilian courts, along with other crimes like illegal logging, human rights abuses and cases that concern the public."

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 10/08/2008 10:32 AM | National Informal lobbying within the House of Representatives special committee deliberating the presidential election bill is expected to expedite a decision on the minimum percentage of votes a party must secure to nominate a presidential candidate. Legislator Ganjar Pranowo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said in Jakarta on Tuesday the special committee members were meeting informally in order to reach a common understanding on the issue before the final meeting next week. "Some members tend to be 'timid' during formal deliberations, which are presided over by the committee chairman," said Ganjar, a member of the House's Commission II overseeing home affairs. "Informal lobbying, including one on ones, is more effective. It is expected to melt the tension." The committee has yet to decide on the minimum percentage of the total votes in the 2009 legislative elections a party must win to be eligible to elect a presidential candidate, with factions suggesting the threshold be set at between 15 and 30 percent. The Golkar Party, winner of the last legislative election, proposed the mark be set at 30 percent. The United Development Party (PPP) and the Democratic Pioneer Star Party (PBPD) have proposed 15 and 20 percent, respectively. The PDI-P and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said 15-30 percent. The National Mandate Party (PAN), the Democrat Party (PD), the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS), the Star Reform Party (PBR) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) agree the threshold should be set at 15-20 percent. Ganjar said the PDI-P had suggested the relatively high mark of 15-30 percent to ensure a more permanent contingent of parties in the House and to save on state spending during elections. "We don't want temporary support. We can learn from the case of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has been criticized of late by his own supporters at the House," he said. Yudhoyono only received support from his own Democratic Party and the Crescent and Star Party (PBB) during the first round of the presidential election in 2004. In the second round, he received backing from the Golkar Party and other parties. Because the support Yudhoyono initially received was fragmented, Ganjar said, the coalition in the House that supports his now is weak, resulting in current strong criticism in the final year of his tenure. "We also want to push for a more affordable election next year. If a candidate can receive strong support, there's a possibility that there will only need to be one round of elections and that will save money." As an example, he cited the two-round East Java gubernatorial election that cost Rp 1.3 trillion (US$134 million) per round. Another committee member Lena Maryana Mukti of the PPP said her party would stick to its 15 percent proposal, as 30 percent would be too high for most parties to meet. "It's a moderate number and it will provide the public with more presidential candidates. Thus, it will offer them more alternatives," she said. "With more candidates running in 2009, both the public and the candidates can learn and they will be more prepared for the 2014 election." Lena said the current presidential election law set the minimum requirement at 15 percent, but that the figure had not been kept to in the 2004 election. "We should return to what the law suggests."

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 10/06/2008 9:57 AM | Headlines In an attempt to promote transparency and prevent illegal funding in the presidential election, the House of Representatives has agreed on prison terms for candidates who fail to report their campaign funding. "There are fears of mysterious and unaudited funds disbursed into candidates' accounts. We've always been suspicious that such funds stem from criminal activities or money laundering," said Ganjar Pranowo of the House's Commission II overseeing national affairs, who is involved in deliberations on the presidential election bill. Because of this concern, the House's special committee deliberating the bill has endorsed prison terms of between 12 and 48 months for campaigners and candidates who fail to report their campaign funding and donations in the forms of goods and services. In addition, they would have to pay a fine three times the amount of money received. "A (presidential or vice presidential) candidate would be automatically disqualified from the race once they face this criminal charge," the special committee's chairman, Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, said Sunday. Ferry, from the Golkar Party, said candidates were prohibited from receiving money from foreign parties, central and regional administrations, as well as state- and province-owned companies. Ganjar, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said that in the past the General Elections Commission (KPU) had difficulty tracking foreign donations. He added there were many dubious sources of funds in past elections. "There was a case in which a candidate received Rp 100 million from a becak (three-wheeled pedicab) driver. How could be this possible?" Ganjar said. The bill demands candidates attach tax identification numbers (NPWP) of each donor in their reports. The NPWP is required for donations of Rp 5 million or more. Andi Yuliani Paris of the National Mandate Party (PAN) said other important points of the bill included a provision to imprison and fine candidates dropping out of the race. Under the new bill, candidates who quit the race before the first round of voting would be sentenced to between 24 months and 60 months in jail and fined from Rp 25 billion to Rp 50 billion. Those who drop out after the first round or during the runoff would face between 36 and 72 months of imprisonment and Rp 50 billion to Rp 100 billion in fines. "This will demand consistency from the candidates and prevent conspiracy among them and political parties," Andi said, adding it could also "save" the state budget by preventing unnecessary expenditure of election funds. The House expects to pass the bill on Oct. 24, according to Ferry. Factions remain split over whether a candidate should be selected based on a party's number of votes or House seats.

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 09/25/2008 10:04 AM | National Responding to mounting public criticism, the House of Representatives has begun revising several contentious articles of the pornography bill, which is scheduled to be passed into law in October. A legislator of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Agung Sasongko said a technical team, established to gather public input, had published a list of the most-criticized articles in the bill. “Following pubic hearings in Jakarta, Ambon, Makassar and Banjarmasin on Sept. 18, the team found that the most-criticized articles include Articles 1, 4, 14, 21 and 22,” Agung told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. Article 1 defines pornography as any sexual reference exhibited as a drawing, sketch, illustration, photograph, text, sound, moving picture, animation, cartoon, poetry, conversation or any other form of communication. Article 4 regulates restrictions and limitations on pornographic materials and services, while Article 14 concerns the use of sexual materials in traditional rituals and art and culture. Articles 21 and 22 stipulate the public’s involvement in undertaking preventive measures against pornography. “The working group for the bill is currently deliberating on the changes both to the articles’ substances and grammatical structures,” said Agung, a legislator of the House’s Commission VIII overseeing religions, social affairs and women’s empowerment. A member of the working group, Irsyad Sudiro of the Golkar Party, said the group expected to significantly alter the bill. “In general, the bill would not violate human rights, or criminalize or discriminate against women,” he said. Agung said the working group had involved in the deliberations linguists and representatives from the National Police and the Attorney General’s Office. “Linguists will ensure the editorial of the bill will not mislead public perception, while law enforcers will help decide how strict actions against violators can be carried out,” he said. The PDI-P and the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS), which previously disagreed on the bill and walked out of the deliberation process, have rejoined talks following the latest revision proposals. The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which has firmly supported the bill, said the changes should focus on containing the porn industry, which it said was on the rise. “The new draft should also not deconstruct local and national cultural products and their characteristics,” PKS faction chairman Mahfudz Siddiq said. “The bill would allow access to use pornographic materials for educational purposes, that will be regulated further,” he added. Ali Mochtar Ngabalin of the Crescent Star Party (PBB) said he guaranteed the bill would protect and respect local values and traditions. “We have plenty of time to give chances to the public to deliver their criticism and input. We will accept all input with open minds,” he said as quoted by Antara. Despite mounting pressure to cancel the bill, Ngabalin said he was optimistic the bill would be passed into law during a plenary meeting scheduled for Oct. 14.

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 09/23/2008 10:06 AM | Headlines The House of Representatives on Monday approved Comr. Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri as the new National Police chief to replace Gen. Sutanto, who will retire early next month. Bambang was elected unanimously to the top police post after undergoing about 10 hours of a fit-and-proper test earlier in the day before the House's Commission III, which oversees legal and human rights affairs. All 10 factions in the commission accepted answers presented during the examination by the sole police chief candidate, nominated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The commission's decision will be presented Tuesday to the House's consultative body before being endorsed at a House plenary session a day later. Bambang, 56, who is currently the National Police chief of detectives, will hold the highest post in the police force until he retires in 2010. Commission III gave full support to Bambang as the new police chief for his "commitment" to push for internal reform within the institution. "But we remind (Bambang) that the police force is a state apparatus and not the government's tool of power," said Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction spokeswoman Eva Kusuma Sundari. "The new National Police chief must reaffirm efforts to ensure a human face for the police as the protector and servant of the people." A similar point was raised by the nine other factions in the House, including the Golkar Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). "Bambang will be able to continue efforts made by his predecessor Sutanto (to boost the police's image). We see that he respects and values his seniors," said Golkar spokesman Aulia Rahman. The three-star general hailed his unanimous election as a "mandate", pledging to "fix the culture" of the National Police, considered one of the most corrupt state institutions in the country. "I'll take firm, indiscriminate measures against crimes, including those involving my own subordinates," Bambang said during the test. "On the other hand, we will improve the police's public services. But we should always uphold human rights in carrying out our duties. I promise there will be no more arrogance within the police force." Commission III chairman Trimedya Pandjaitan praised Bambang for his "good presentation" during the screening process. Several legislators asked Bambang why the police considered their budget of up to Rp 25 trillion per year "insufficient". In response, Bambang said the state should allocate a bigger budget in order to provide better salaries to police officers in a bid to prevent them from demanding illegal levies. "We have conducted research that shows the ideal salary for a brigadier-level officer is around Rp 7 to 8 million per month. However, we're aware it's impossible for the state to grant this amount," he said. Bambang also promised to fight corruption, illegal logging, illegal fishing and illegal mining, as well as conventional crimes such as robberies. "The fight against illegal levies is one of my priorities. I promise there will be no such practice anymore. I'll set up a special team to handle this matter," he added. Bambang also vowed to establish a national information center on crimes and to steer clear of political interference from outsiders. "Bambang has a good track record, but what's important is that he fulfill all of his promises," said the PKS' Soeripto. Bambang graduated from the National Police Academy in 1974, and was lauded by many observers for ordering the arrest of Rizieq Shihab, leader of the hard-line Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and Munarman, head of the Islam Defenders Force, for leading an attack on a pro-tolerance rally last June. Another of his notable achievements was the arrest of former State Intelligence deputy chief Muchdi Purwopranjono as a suspect in the 2004 murder of human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib. While serving as North Sumatra Police chief, Bambang drew praise for successfully ordering the arrest of major illegal logging suspect Adelin Lis.